... like a different flavor of alcoholic?

My fiancee and I went to a movie last night, and he hadn't eaten dinner so we swung by subway so he could get a sandwhich.

Fresh bread out of the oven... I swear to god. I was shaking. I felt like all I wanted in the world was to crawl over the counter and grab it.

I don't even WANT it... but my body has a different idea. And other people don't understand it. "Well, fine... if you want to stop eating carbs, what's so hard about that? Don't you have any willpower?"

I quit smoking without a backward glance. And I'm getting trembles over BREAD?

Sometimes, it makes me feel a little silly.

Hi Bree,

I used to feel that way -- it's one of the reasons I am as fat as I am -- but since starting Atkins the cravings for carbohydrates have gone away. I went out to dinner last night and when the waiter put the basket of good smelling, warm bread on the table, I was happy to just smell it. I didn't particularly have any cravings to eat it.

I see you are on The Zone plan, which I don't know much about, but it is my understanding that it allows more carbohydrates than most of the other lowcarb plans. Given the length of time you have been low carbing (since July, according to your profile) and the fact that you are still having intense cravings, I wonder if another plan might be more appropriate for you? That's just a thought -- the plan might not be the issue at all. I know that people with a lot of cravings tend to do well on CAD/CALP. Atkins worked to eliminate all my cravings, but I know that hasn't been true of everyone.

The reason I am concerned, and the reason I would guess you are concerned, is that if you continue to feel this way it will make sticking to this way of eating for the rest of your life quite difficult. No one wants to feel deprived all the time of something they are craving.

Bree - I think liz may have a point. When you quit smoking, you probably went cold-turkey, right?

Maybe one of the plans that more drastically reduces carbs might help you kick those cravings and the physical addiction you have to them.

Actually, I've only been on the Zone for two weeks, after a five month trip off the wagon.

As for carbs... the Zone does allow more carbs, but it does not allow complex carbs. All of your carb intake comes from fruits and vegetables.

When I started low-carbing, I did Atkins, which didn't work for me at all. I don't know if it was my mind or body that couldn't handle it, but when I fell off, I hit bottom harder than before.

My doctor is (thankfully) extremly well informed about and supportive of low carb lifestyles, but put me on the Zone a few weeks ago because of its focus on insulin control. I'm borderline diabetic, and he assures me that following this has saved several of his patients from teetering over the edge.

Rereading my post, I guess it sounds a little melodramatic... *g* I'm gonna chalk it up to my emotional tenderness today. Mostly, I just wanted to know that I wasn't the only one who felt like that in the beginning...

*g* But then, maybe I was. *shrugs*

Nope you are not the only one - I felt the same way. I felt like Pavlov's dog. Just the smell of bread or sweets would send me into a salivation fit. Fortunately I can now smell those things and only occasionally get a drool. 99% of the time I am fine. I now know and understand - those things smell wonderfull - but they are horrible to my body.

If you have only been on your plan for two weeks, then cravings make a lot more sense. Sorry about my misunderstanding in my previous post -- I checked your profile and it said you started low carbing in July, which is when I also started low carbing, and therefore the intense cravings surprised me.

The good news is that if it is the right plan for you, the cravings should go away.

LOL! That's okay. I only wish I could say I've been low carbing religiously for the last year... but I let school, stress, and moving sideswipe me.

Not this time. I'm even taking a light load for the summer semester to give myself more time to get adjusted and used to it. I've had it with wagons and my inevitable fall from them.

Granted, my cravings ARE better than they were a week ago... which is pretty impressive, I suppose, when I consider that I still (6 months later) want to grab cigs from people outside of movie theatres and take a puff sometimes.

I know I've got the willpower, I just need to refuse to let little bouts of depression and doubt get me run down.

You're lucky to have such a good doctor!!!! So many of the folks here have doctors who outright do not support LC WOE, and others (like me) have doctors who shrug their shoulders and admit ignorance on the subject.

I'm past my bread craving, and that's saying a lot for me because before LC I could polish off a dozen rolls at a time, by myself. The only thing that grabs my gut and gives it a shake now is the smell of birthday cake icing ... mercy ... have to turn my head away for that one!

You are only human honey

How ironic, butter with bread.

hi bree,

i can relate to your "junkie" feelings. i can honestly say i dont want bread or sweets but if i smell them or am in close proximity to them i can see myself in my mind's eye reaching for them. i actually get a physical reaction my shoulder jumps (lol) but it lasts a second and then its gone (so far). i close the fridge or leave the room.

now as far as submay is concerned i think that may be one of the places to avoid. the bread smell is way overpowering. will power be damned. if most of us admit to having a carb addiction then its in our best interest not to go into temptation like for instance SUBWAY!!

Good Luck!

Ok...I had a smell temptation Saturday night. We were at a sports bar watching a hockey game and they were giving out free popcorn, so EVERYONE in the place was eating it except our table.

I was having a hard time paying attention to what else was going on because I kept smelling the popcorn. A cup of coffee with Splenda and cream got me through it.

Later they burned a batch of popcorn, and that took any lingering temptation right away!

I don't think your post came off as melodramatic at all. I think your point (s) is a good one. I definately look upon my addiction to carbs as being every bit as serious as an addiction to alcohol or drugs.

And the smell of fresh, hot bread is really tough to resist. Like Liz, I don't really have a strong craving for it anymore, but the smell of it is pleasing, for sure. When I go for my daily walks, I walk right past a bread factory. It's the biggest business in the town in which I live. I smell the fresh bread all the time and I have to tell you that I worrry that just inhaling the odors will make me gain weight. Now that's melodramatic!

Donald